Leading South Korean architecture firm known for its building information modeling (BIM) projects tightens its software asset management (SAM) program to better manage its Autodesk software licenses.

Founded in 1981, Wonyang Architecture Co., Ltd. (Wonyang) has been recognized as one of the best architecture companies in South Korea by the Korea National Housing Corporation. The company’s notable projects include the Seoul World Cup Stadium and the Korea International Exhibition Center. As a leader in its field, Wonyang uses building information modeling (BIM) to complete projects more efficiently. BIM is an integrated process that improves project understanding and outcomes by improving project coordination, accuracy, and decision making.

"Our successful adoption of BIM has extended our leadership in South Korea’s architecture industry," says Mr. Sunghwan Park, general manager of the administration division at Wonyang. "Autodesk software plays a critical role in our BIM workflow and enhances our ability to win new business. The architecture, engineering, and construction industry in South Korea has virtually standardized on Autodesk software—and on Autodesk Revit-based products, in particular. Without Autodesk, we would jeopardize our competitive edge."

Managing its Autodesk software and other software licenses was largely a manual process until recently, according to Mr. Park. The company has a dedicated SAM manager, but he lacked adequate tools for tracking Wonyang’s myriad licenses.

"It’s been difficult for our SAM manager to view the entire lifecycle for our software licenses holistically," says Mr. Park. "Not only did we need more effective SAM processes, we also wanted to integrate SAM with our efforts to comply with Korean financial accounting standards."

The Solution

A best practice for SAM is conducting baseline and periodic software audits. Wonyang set out to improve its SAM program by writing an effective license position (ELP) to audit software deployments by types and quantities. "Our ELP helped us verify which software we have installed and licensed," says Mr. Park. "We used the Autodesk® Asset Locator to gain comprehensive insight into our software lifecycle and determine which Autodesk software titles were over- or under-deployed."

With this understanding, Wonyang set out to implement a more systematic approach to SAM. For example, the company is now enforcing procedures and policies for reviewing software licensing agreements and making software purchases based on user needs. These highly structured procedures are designed to ensure Wonyang properly deploys its software licenses—and has access to the applications it needs to stay competitive.

As part of its new approach to SAM, Wonyang’s SAM manager collaborates with the company’s finance and purchasing departments to manage software purchasing and track software documentation more efficiently. Wonyang has even automated the process of consolidating software usage information, so it always has an accurate baseline for managing software licenses. Knowing its inventory, the company can negotiate better pricing with software resellers and more precisely calculate the total cost of ownership for various software titles. Wonyang also has refined its purchasing controls to complement its efforts to comply with Korean financial accounting standards.

The Result

With a more comprehensive SAM program in place, Wonyang’s SAM manager can more effectively track software licenses, helping to ensure the company is compliant with its licensing agreements. In addition, by identifying under-deployed software, Wonyang can save money. The firm can also regularly check whether it is over-deploying software and purchase additional licenses as needed.

Implementing a more comprehensive SAM program not only reduces the risk of noncompliance, it reinforces the company’s industry leadership position. "It isn’t enough that we use the most cutting-edge BIM software," says Mr. Park. "Our aggressive SAM program demonstrates to our clients and partners that Wonyang does not shirk its obligations."

Wonyang even underwent a full license assessment as part of Autodesk’s Clean Company* program. Mr. Park concludes: "By undergoing the Clean Company certification process, we not only gained access to support for our SAM efforts—including Autodesk consultation on SAM planning, methodology, materials, and reports—we strengthened our relationship with Autodesk."